Jewellery Making For Beginners Short Course
Course description
Course overview
In this introductory jewellery making short course, you will learn simple and practical techniques, making it the ideal first step for those who want to try making jewellery in a workshop environment. The emphasis is on developing confidence and realising the potential for making jewellery with limited access to equipment and skills.
We will do guided projects that are designed to cover the foundational skills and hand tools used to make silver jewellery such as sawing, filing, soldering, surface decoration and finishing. You will make your own pendant, ring, bracelet and earrings in silver that have scope for adding your own designs within their surface decoration. You will be surprised how much can be achieved with the use of simple techniques and overcome any nervousness of using of the workshop equipment.
You will receive advice and handouts on sourcing tools and materials and further research sources and advice on what further courses might be suitable to build on your skills and particular interests.
Who this course is for
This course is suitable for anyone, aged 18 and older, interested in developing jewellery making skills, regardless of prior experience. Beginners are welcome, as are those looking to expand existing knowledge.
Key information
Topics covered
- Material piercing
- Filing
- Soldering process
- Simple fittings
- Simple finishes
Learning outcomes
- Know how to use hand tools and understand the foundation skills for making jewellery in silver
- Complete a pendant, bracelet, and ring personalised with your own design detailing
- Understand Health and Safety issues within a jewellery workshop
- Gain confidence by realising finished pieces using a soldering torch
- Digital badge and certificate of attendance
Materials
- Apron
- Sketchbook
- Pencils
- Eraser
- Sensible footwear (no 'open toe' sandals)
- Hair band (if you have long hair)
Tutor
Victoria Smith
Victoria Smith is a jeweller who gained her degree at Central Saint Martins.
Paul Wells
Paul Wells is an award-winning and internationally recognised silversmith and jeweller, renowned for his use of direct metalworking techniques such as forging and milling, and who makes creative use of organic forms. He has developed a method of creating curved scores which can be used to fold sheet metal, as described in his book New Jewellery Techniques: Curved Scoring and Folding for Metalwork and Silversmithing (Hoaki, 2022). He teaches on the BA Jewellery course at Central Saint Martins and is a regular UAL Short Course tutor for Jewellery Making.
Website: www.scorefoldpress.com
Sarah King
Sarah King is an established jeweller specialising in mixing precious and non-precious materials in jewellery and using them to make sculptural and tactile pieces. She has sold her work through department stores such at Liberty and Barneys, New York and the art jewellery gallery Jewellers' Werk Galerie in Washington DC. Since 2000 she has been experimenting with cast bioresin and these works are in public and private collections (including Crafts Council and the British Council), and has worked on many books on contemporary jewellery. She has won the Association of Contemporary Jewellery Prize and several Goldsmiths' Craftmanship and Design Awards.
She has taught specialist classes in plastics, wood and silver jewellery for over 15 years and in 2019 published her first book 'Creating Jewellery in Wood'. For 16 years she was based in the innovative makers hub Cockpit Arts in London and now lives and works in Lewes, East Sussex.
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